Bills encouraging safe storage in homes, prohibiting guns from polling places pass the House
State Rep. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy) speaks on the House Floor in support of House Bills 5450-51, on Nov. 13. 2024, in the Michigan Capitol Building.
LANSING, Mich., Nov. 13, 2024 — House Democrats passed four more bills today that will help to reduce gun violence. Building on the work Democrats have done this year to crack down on guns ending up in the wrong hands, the bills protect voters at polling places and educate parents of school-age children about new safe storage requirements.
State Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) testifies in the House Election Committee on House Bill 4127 on Oct. 17, 2023, in the House Office Building in Lansing.
“Maintaining election integrity includes ensuring voters are free from the threat of intimidation that having firearms near a polling place brings,” said state Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou (D-East Lansing) “Too many in our state have been traumatized by gun violence — they should never feel retraumatized and intimidated while exercising their right to vote.”
House Bills 4127, sponsored by Tsernoglou, and 4128, sponsored by state Rep. Stephanie Young (D-Detroit), will prohibit firearms from polling locations and absentee counting board locations. Both bills prohibit firearms from being within 100 feet of polling and counting board locations unless the person is a peace officer and two other exceptions.
State Rep. Stephine Young (D-Detroit) testifies in the House Election Committee on House Bill 4128 on Oct. 17, 2023, in the House Office Building in Lansing.
“This legislation reflects our commitment to safeguarding Michigan’s democratic process by ensuring every voter, election worker and official can participate without fear or intimidation,” Young said. “These bills address the critical need for safe spaces around voting and absentee counting locations, reinforcing that threats and violence have no place in our electoral system. Protecting the right to vote and the people who make our elections possible is essential for a resilient and secure democracy.”
House Dems also passed two safe storage bills to help keep kids safe.
“Making sure our kids are safe is at the heart of this legislation,” said state Rep. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy). “Ensuring that parents know the new rules regarding the safe storage of guns is one of the best ways we can protect our kids, both in our homes and our schools. Parental vigilance can prevent children from accidentally hurting themselves with guns or from purposely using their parents’ guns to hurt themselves or others. The Legislature can and must do everything in its power to prevent gun violence.”
State Reps. Sharon MacDonell (D-Troy), left, and Julie Brixie (D-East Lansing) testify in the House Education Committee on Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in the House Office Building in Lansing.
MacDonell sponsored HB 5450, which requires the Department of Health and Human Services to develop information regarding the safe storage of firearms for schools to distribute. State Rep. Julie Brixie (D-Meridian Township) sponsored HB 5451, which requires school districts to provide that information to parents and legal guardians.
“Education is key to preventing gun violence,” Brixie said. “By providing this information to students’ parents and guardians, we are taking concrete steps to ensure firearms are safely and properly stored to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands and tragedies from occurring. It’s on all of us to help prevent gun violence.”
Michigan Democrats also passed a number of other bills this year to help curb gun violence, from establishing extreme risk protection orders to requiring universal background checks and keeping guns out of the hands of convicted domestic abusers.
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